This workshop has been developed specifically for the education sector, and will give you the tools to address these challenges and take a lot of the stress out of managing your classroom. Catering to the needs of teachers, ancillary and office staff as well as allied professionals in schools, ‘Frameworks’ can make dealing with children and their families much easier, in and out of the school setting. It can optimise behavioural, social and academic outcomes, making life better for everyone!

What past participants say

‘The A Framework for Understanding Poverty course I recently attended was the best professional development I have attended. The course was professionally and compassionately delivered, and allowed me to identify and understand student and parent behaviours I had previously only been annoyed by, and to develop strategies to work with these. It is an excellent course that I could not recommend highly enough. If you have the chance to attend, GO!’

‘Nairn Walker’s presentation on Understanding Poverty was stunning – certainly among the best and most incisive that I have attended in my thirty plus years in the Department.

Her delivery style is entertaining and compelling but she never loses sight of the serious nature of her subject matter. She gave me a depth of understanding of the nature and culture of poverty that I have never had before despite working in underprivileged areas for several years.

We have already booked Nairn for our Regional Principals’ Conference this year and we intend to use her for several other seminars. I cannot recommend her too highly.’

‘I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed and valued the Understanding Poverty PD in Moe last Monday. It was one of the best PD’s I have ever been to. Nairn has a very engaging presentation style and the information provided was practical and allowed participants to reach a new level of understanding very quickly.’

I recommend this workshop to all community members, teachers, school administrators, youth workers and health care professionals who work with young people from poverty. This workshop will increase your knowledge and understanding of the behaviours and thought patterns of many of our challenging youth. … make your work so much easier and more effective!

– Meg Roche, You Can Do It! Education State Trainer, Western Australia.

‘Spot on! Gave me the words, labels, cognitive structures and understandings to make sense of our school context, and help identify the next steps’.

How to use cognitive interventions that are vital for effective learning and success.

Instructional and systemic interventions that make a difference

…and how to address these issues. Where’s the material from? A Framework for Understanding Poverty is based on the work of Dr Ruby Payne, who has spent 25 years as a teacher, principal, consultant, and administrator. Her first book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, and subsequent library of resources are powerful tools for educators dealing with children from different social classes. A Framework for Understanding Poverty discusses the hidden rules that govern how each of us behaves in our social class. These rules, because they are hidden and only known to those within the group, can prove to be a major stumbling block for individuals trying to operate in a different social class. Students from poverty often languish in classrooms because middle class rules are usually those that govern, yet as educators, we can be unaware of the price we and our students are paying, and what we can do about it. Children of different classes need not suffer through an educational system oblivious to their needs. Judges, social workers, ministers, community leaders and health professionals as well as educators are all learning from Ruby’s work. For more information on this work, please visit www.ahaprocess.com.